The world has a great many second courses - dishes invented by mankind in the entire history of its existence. According to classical recipes, many of them are supposed to be supplemented, which is often used as a decoration, but also has practical functions: adding an additional gamut of taste or contrasting with respect to the main ingredient of taste. About what a side dish is, we will tell in our next article.
Value in a modern kitchen
In the cookery art of our time, this concept is interpreted somewhat more broadly than, for example, at the beginning of the last century. What is a side dish today? This supplement can accompany drinks, as well as include products that are placed in a container with a consom, or what is put on portioned meat pieces.
What is made of
Garnishes are usually made of various kinds of vegetables and root vegetables, cereals and legumes. Options are possible today with seafood, and with mushrooms, and with fruit. There are also in nature cookery and compound complex side dishes of several types of products, which sometimes have cardinal differences in taste, which perfectly emphasizes the contrasts conceived by the cook. But today we’ll talk in more detail about how to make simple side dishes, for example, from rice, vegetables, and potatoes. In general, about the types that are available to every housewife in the average Russian cuisine. What is a side dish? In French, this word means "fill", "decorate." Let's try to decorate and saturate all familiar dishes with garnishes.
Side dish of vegetables
The variety of options for these types of supplements is simply amazing. Vegetables can be used in various combinations among themselves. For example, potatoes with onions and carrots or zucchini, potatoes and cauliflower. And side dishes can also be made from one type. A vivid example is mashed potatoes, familiar to everyone since childhood. Vegetables also combine well with cereals such as rice, with legumes, such as beans. Served with side dishes for meat dishes: meatballs, chops, liver. No exception and fish. Who hasn’t tried fried or boiled fish with mashed potatoes at least once in their life? Let's try to make the simplest side dish of vegetables.
Carrot Plus Potato
A great addition to meat or fish. And it is prepared easily, and absorbed by the body perfectly! For cooking, take 5-7 potatoes and a couple of medium-sized carrots. Still need greens (parsley, dill), salt and water.
- We clean and wash the vegetables.
- We cut the potato in half, and the carrot in 3 centimeter segments across.
- Dill with parsley (you can use cilantro for those who like its taste) cut finely.
- We put vegetables in the pan and pour cold water. Bring to a boil, add salt and add greens.
- Cook over low heat until cooked. We check it in a good old-fashioned way: we pierce potatoes with a fork. It should enter freely, but without falling apart a root crop.
- Drain and serve portioned with fish or meat dishes.
Garnish Rice
This cereal is at the origins of the development of mankind, and in many countries it is one of the main additives used. Rice on a side dish is easy to prepare. There are many ways to cook it. We will use one of the proposed culinary specialists.
Cooking
We need: rice, lean oil, garlic, salt.
- Peel a few cloves of garlic. We make cuts on both sides.
- In a stewpan, heat the oil (a few spoons) and fry the garlic there until golden.
- We take out the garlic and fry the rice in the same oil for several minutes until it becomes transparent.
- Pour rice with water (according to the good old recipe: 1 part cereal and 2 parts water, that is, if you have a glass of rice, you need to take two glasses of liquid), salt and cover with a lid.
- Cook on the smallest fire for about 15 minutes.
- Thus, all the introduced water has time to boil, and the side dish is friable and fragrant.
This type of supplement is well suited to fish and seafood dishes. It can also be used as an independent meal. When served on a table, soy sauce of natural fermentation is perfect for it. Rice can also be used for sweet side dishes with dried fruits or fresh fruits, adding a spoonful of honey and spices.
Grated Cheese Pasta
What is a pasta garnish? It is prepared as easily as the previous ones. By the way, in some countries it acts as an independent dish.
Take a pack of pasta from durum wheat (those that do not need to be washed later). Throw the raw materials into boiling water, stirring constantly, to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan (it should be taken larger in size). Usually on the packet write the time of preparation of the flour product. As a rule, it is 10-15 minutes. It’s not worth digesting, as they can stick together and ruin the whole appearance. Then we drain the water, and add oil to the hot pasta. Mix and sprinkle with grated hard cheese.
Tip: you need to take real cheese, without additives, and not a cheese product. Then your side dish will be - just lick your fingers!